All Is Silence
by Osiris-Ra
Summary: Daniel's been acting strange. An intruiging revelation to Daniel sends him, SG1 and an infmaous duo of government agents on the trail of humanity's next greatest discovery. This is one of a series. I'm pretty sure 4 will be where it all ends ... I hop
1. Default Chapter

**All Is Silence**

**by**

**Osiris-Ra**

_All is silence ... Then the true horror of existence ..._

Daniel awakens - his head is throbbing. Several hard blinks don't put the puzzle together. Something's not right. It hasn't been right for a very long time.

It all began when he first laid hands on the StarGate. This had been an epiphany in his life. A smoking gun that was pointed in his direction. It had seemed for the longest he had waited for it to fire - But the gun never fired. It was always indistinct - vague. It was later along the way after he met Jack, Sam, Teal'c and Sha're then he realized that in the vaugness was the answer - his muse. There was something in it especially for him ...

_Later at the SGC ..._

Daniel wandered along the halls of the SGC, wringing his hands behind his back. He stopped, suddenly aware of what he was doing. He looked at his hands. Why did he do that? He had no particular reason to be worried. He ran through the day's chores in his mind, trying to find something - anything wrong. He'd washed the dishes - taken out the trash - turned off the stove ... yet - somehow - something was missing.

"Daniel?"

Jack's voice broke Daniel out of his box of thought. Jack was staring at him in his puzzled, worried fashion.

"You okay Daniel?"

"Um - yeah, fine. Fine, Jack."

Jack wasn't buying it. _Damn him. Why'd he always have to be so suspicious?_

"You sure? You look like you could use a break."

"I'm fine Jack."

Daniel spoke rather curtly as he walked off. Jack looked after him. There had been something funny about Daniel lately. He kept .. Forgetting things.

_Later in the infirmary ..._

Janet was pointing a penlight in Daniel's eye. She flicked it off – Daniel blinked a few times – She stood back and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Can't find anything wrong with you. Good news is, you're not a Goa'uld. (_There was a tinge of humor there_) Your blood pressure's a bit high but other than that ..."

Daniel looked a bit alarmed, not physically but like something was eating away slowly at him.

"Daniel?" Her voice rang the same puzzled worry as Jacks - only in a doctor-ly way.

"Huh?" Daniel said, looking up suddenly. "Yeah - um ... Thanks Janet." He said, sliding off the table.

"Wait, Daniel, what's wrong? Hmm? You don't seem yourself."

"I'm fine Doc. Really. Thanks."

He started out of the infirmary.

"Would you like to see the on base psychiatrist?"

Daniel stopped – turned and looked at her. _Why would she say that?_

"Why would you ask that?"

"I know going off world can have a strain on you - mentally as well as physically. I really think you should check him out."

"Why, huh? Why? What - you - you think I'm nuts or something? Huh?

"Daniel, I'm just saying -"

"I'm not crazy!"

Daniel stormed out. Janet was taken aback. Now she was really worried ...

_Later in the cafeteria ..._

Daniel stood in line in the cafeteria, staring a glob of green stuff – a sign said it was Spinach Pasta –_ where the heck was the pasta?_

Sam come up behind him and spooned some on her tray.

"Hi Daniel. What's up?"

She's too cheerful - he suddenly thought - always so damn cheerful ...

"Fine."He said absent-mindedly.

He moved along in line and took a slice of coconut cream pie..

"You busy today?" She said in her jovial conversational tone." I've been drowning myself in work. Atwo hundred and seventy fivepage documentation on the design of the Alkesh - I know it's not new but I'm just really excited about thinking that we could try at designing another vehicle capable of space travel - a prototype for a _transportation vessel _this time around - and incorporate Alkesh design into it. It's really fascinating. I mean, it could totally cut the costs of regular transportation nowadays. No more oil spills, no more plane crashes... there is the confidentiality problem of course but that's easy enough to get by, I suppose. It's amazing to think that one day instead of hopping on a plane or greyhound bus we could just step into a ring circle and get literally 'beamed up' to wherever -

"Sam, do you ever shut up?"

Sam's mouth closed slowly. _That was surprising - stung a little ..._

"I'm sorry?"

Daniel moved on through the line, picking up a Pepsi on his way.

Sam filled up her tray and followed him.

Daniel sat down at an empty table and started picking at his mashed potatoes and macaroni.

Sam slid down in a seat in front of him. Her cheerful face was now crinkled in worried puzzlement at her friend's behavior.

"So um... what, do I annoy you now?"

"No Sam - I'm sorry, okay? I - I don't know what the hell's happening to me, that's all."

"Well, at least let me try to help ... you wanna talk about it?

"Honestly? No."

He cracked open his Pepsi.

"I know what you're going to say," Daniel went on," Daniel, go to the doctor, Daniel, see a shrink, Daniel stop using so much cologne, it's clouding your nasal passages, you can't breath, that's why you're so cranky ..."

Sam stifled a grin. "No, that - that's really not what I was thinking at all."

"Oh," he began snidely, "well what was it, then?"

"Well I - I actually was sort of in a way kind of leaning towards .."

"See the shrink?"

"Kinda."

"Never." He picked at a piece of cornbread. He felt suddenly that inside something was snapping, tearing loose, scraping across his mind like nails on a chalk board ...

(**Flash** - _Three bright lights – Daniel staring at them – terrified – something round whizzes past –_)

"Daniel," Sam continued, "we've all been seeing it. You're acting different. You're distant, you act like everyone's a royal pain in the ass. You don't listen - much like you're not listening to me now ... Daniel?"

His eyes were focused on the cornbread. The round piece of cornbread ... a perfectly round anomaly ... round ... _round ... round ... Sam's voice bleeding in ..._

"Daniel? Daniel? Daniel!"

"Shut up!" He roared as he leapt from his seat and flung his tray across the table.

"Just shut the hell up!"

His wild eyes scanned the room of staring airmen – Sam rising, taking control - noone could take control now - something else was in control.

"Daniel, I want you to calm down." She slowly reached out a hand.

"I'm not gonna hurt you Daniel -"

He smacked her arm away.

"No! Leave me alone! All of you! Leave me alone!" He backed out of the cafeteria and his footsteps were heard running down the hall. Sam ran after him.

Daniel was storming now, like a high tide crashing against the rocks on a dark cloudy day ... he brushed past several airmen who acknowledged him and turned as he didn't. He continued down the long hall – right – left – straight – heading for the elevator. He pressed the button impatiently. The elevator door opened. Teal'c was in it. He came out.

"Daniel Jackson."

Daniel blew past him and slammed a finger on the close button. Sam was running down the hall.

"Teal'c! Stop him!"

Teal'c was just about to ram a thick strong arm through the elevator door but it closed... on Daniel as he glared back at both of them.

Teal'c and Sam looked at each other. _What the hell was going on?_

_Later, in the park ..._

Daniel was sitting on a park bench watching two kids playing with a frisbee. The kids kept flinging it between both of them, one to the other. Daniel marveled at the spinning motion ...

(**Flash** - _a bright circular object flew at him in the dark, three extremely bright lights pulsated as –_)

Daniel broke out of it. He shook it off - _whoa, what was that? _Then he remembered that vague feeling ... it was trying to come back - slowly slipping through the cracks. He then turned and realized a woman with medium length red hair and rather unimaginative dark clothing was sitting a few inches away from him on the bench. She was talking on her cell phone in a disturbed voice. All he caught was...

"...don't tell me that, Mulder. Mulder,stop being so damn cryptic and talk to me, what are yousaying ..."

He went back to looking at the two kids with the frisbee.

The woman wrapped up her conversation with a person who seemed to irritate her and hung up her cell phone Shesighed heavily. Daniel couldn't help but look back over at her. She was sort of nice looking, red hair, a tired face that seemed to have seen things she had no choice but to see. Her heavy dark overcoat resembled the type that, say, a government agent would wear. In that case, perhaps he should get as far away as possible from her before someone decides to start shooting. But she looked so ... disturbed, unhappy and confused with the world. She looked, he thought, like she felt a lot like he was feeling right now..

"Bad day?"

He couldn't seem to control the words as they spilled from his mouth. She shot a sudden acknowledging glance at him with intense blue eyes as if she hadn't noticed he had been sitting there.

"...Yeah. You could say that," She said hesitantly.

"Yeah ..."Daniel said quickly. "Me too." he exhaled shortly. "Seems like my whole life been a bad day."

She looked at him again. _Who was he and why was he talking to her?_

"Uh huh... seems that way sometimes." She went back to scanning the park sidewalk .. She was waiting for someone.

Daniel suddenly leaned forward and clasped his hands conversationally.

"Does it ever seem like sometimes ... there's just something ... missing?"

She looked at him shiftily - Daniel noticed how when her eyes met his, they just kind of stayed there, looking through him, almost.

"Sometimes, I suppose. I guess at times the world can seem almost –"

"Like it's conspiring against you?"

She looked at him suddenly.

"Yeah."

"You know what they call that right?" Daniel smiled.

She half smiled - half winced.

"Well, the popular term is conspiracy theorist."

Daniel laughed. "Yeah. Exactly what I mean. But in my case ... see, I have a somewhat unusual occupation and well, it's not usual for me to feel like this. It's ... I haven't been remembering a lot nowadays. In fact I - I can't seem to remember the whole of last night two days ago. But I dunno ..."

"There is a condition where people suffer from short term memory loss."

Daniel smiled again. "No, I - I don't think it's quite that. It is coming back a little bit ... I don't know if I can explain exactly ... it's like ..."

Something's dawning on you?" She had turned in his direction, put an arm over the bench - she looked interested. "You're realizing something you don't or didn't want to believe?"

Daniel was surprised at how much this stranger thought like him.

"Yeah. You could say that."

They looked at each other for awhile. Her cell phone rang.

"Oops. Gotta get this."

She turned again and picked up her cell. She began talking again in that alert, disturbed tone. Daniel watched her. He thought he caught a glimpse of a gun handle from her slightly pulled back coat - but that could just be in his imagination. After awhile she hung up. She turned to him while she tucked her phone back in her inner coat pocket. It was then that Daniel clearly saw the gun - and her badge.

"Well, I gotta go. It was nice talking with you ..."

"Jackson. Daniel Jackson."

He stuck out his hand for a handshake. She grasped his with a strong grip.

"Dana Scully."

"Nice meeting you too. I hope I didn't unload on you too much."

"No. It's good to get our problems out in the open."

"You're easy to talk to, I guess."

She chuckled shyly and smiled, she walked off.

Daniel looked back to those kids with the frisbee. Them and their parents were packing up to leave the park, heading to a large red van. Daniel rose. He too had to get going.

_Later, in a psychiatric office in the SGC ..._

Daniel was sitting in front of Dr. Richard Palmer, a greying man with a kindly demeanor and gentle prying voice. Daniel was in a state of hypnosis, his glasses off his face, his head downcast in a controlled trance.

Dr. Palmer leaned forward and began in his gentle voice.

"I want you think of a place where you felt the safest .. The most calm and at peace. You're going to go there whenever you feel scared or uncomfortable on our journey."

Daniel moved his head, his eyes in rapid REM, as he listened. He nodded slightly.

Dr. Palmer continued, " Now, we're going to go back to when your troubles first began... we're going to remember the time you lost and piece the puzzle back together."

(**Flash** - _Daniel, Sam and Jack, at his house, drinking and playing Monopoly. Sam moves her piece to a certain square. Daniel laughs victoriously and takes ahold of his piece – he moves it – Square – by square – by square – by square..._)

"I'm at my house. I'm playing a board game ... monopoly. Sam's winning."

(**Flash** - _Daniel takes a long swig of beer._)

"I'm getting drunk. It's kind of a funny night."

"How is it funny?"

"Mmm ... I don't like this game ... I'm going outside..."

(**Flash** - _Outside - the beach - Daniel's walking down it, hands in his pockets - turning around -_)

"Jack's out here too ... he's ... Jack's doing something - he's ... digging."

"Why?"

Daniel sighed a little -

"I don't know. Maybe he just likes to dig."

(**Flash** - _Jack walks up the hill, turns – looking at Daniel – walks over the hill and disappears on the other side – Daniel turns back to the beach._)

"What's he doing now?"

"Jack? Oh - he's gone now. Yeah - it's just me. I'm on the beach ... Old Bay ..."

(**Flash** - _a beach - long sprawling beach – night time – gulls cawing overhead – three lights coming at Daniel in the sky – they just keep coming ..._)

"What's Old Bay, Daniel?"

"Mmm .. The lighthouse behind my house. It's on the beach ... near a quarry."

"Is there anything important about Old Bay?"

He inhaled deeply in consideration...

"Maybe. I don't know yet."

"Okay then, let's go back to that safe place. That cozy, warm place that we talked about. Are you there?"

Daniel nodded.

"Good. Now we're going to your last most violent memory ... when you felt your world closing in on you, as you said."

(**Flash** - _in the cafeteria, with Sam - The round cornbread ..._)

Daniel spoke in a monotone hypnotized voice.

"It's round."

"What's round?"

"It's round ... it's ... "

"Concentrate on my voice, Daniel, what are you seeing?"

(**Flash** - _the round anomaly with the lights - coming at Daniel! He's bracing – a shaft of light coming from the round anomaly encompasses him!_)

"I'm seeing ... it's round ... "

Daniel was getting flustered, he winced as he spoke, trying desperately to claw the vagueness out – get to the marrow of his tortured subconscious.

"It's a ... ah ... it's a - it's a ship!"

(**Flash **- _the long shaft of light ... Daniel's in it - trapped, unable to move - frozen! Looking up into the blinding light – totally helpless..._)

Dr. Palmer continued softly. "What kind of ship?"

"It's uh ... I'm in a light, uh ... it's bright ...Uh, god ... uh ... round ... lights ... a big light ... like a - a lighthouse!"

(**Flash** - _Daniel's standing on the beach – lighthouse lights swirling in the distance – Old Bay Lighthouse, it's old, vacated, but that light always shines without anyone to turn it on ... or off. Daniel's staring at it – He's back in the shaft of light! Over him ... an intricately designed mother ship._)

"They're going to take me! No! Please, no, stop!"

Beads of sweat drizzled down Daniel's forehead. Dr. Palmer's wise experienced eyes knew it was time to take him out of it.

"Alright Daniel, we're going to go back to that place that made you feel safe. Back to it now ..."

Daniel was struggling ... struggling with his memory, struggling, trying to understand what was going on - what had happened.

(**Flash** - _Onboard now. It's incredibly dark. Can't see anything. Daniel's lying strapped on a table, naked, terrified ... a tall spindly figure stands over him ... Daniels looking on, completely helpless."Thor?"_)

"Thor?" Daniel repeated aloud.

"Thor? Who's Thor, Daniel? What are you seeing, Daniel?"

"It's uh ... it's a ... a - an alien."

"An alien?"

"It's not a - it's not Thor."

(**Flash** - _The alien moves around the table Daniel is lying on. It doesn't seem to have any particular shape - no particular face ... It leans in close over him ... shape shifts into a cat. Jumps playfully onto his chest – his chest – bloodless letters in some kind of language are carved in it._)

"Kitten ... small kitten .."

"Tell me where you are Daniel."

"It's a bed ... a cot - on the ship ... the asga - the alien is ... it changed."

"Is there anyone else with you?"

"He's saying something."

(**Flash** - _The kitten licks Daniel on the mouth. Daniel's looking around – a ring of the aliens has formed around him. Their eyes glow in the dark._)

Dr. Palmer checked his watch - it was almost lunch.

"Okay, Daniel ... we're going to leave together, okay Daniel? I'm taking you out. Daniel?"

"Evindeo ... Ptah evindeo quos ... Saree lotah evindeo quos ... Nu ani anqueetus ... Furling ... ani .. Nu."

Dr. Palmer frowned. Daniel's eyes opened.

_Later at Daniel's home..._

Daniel was sitting in his living room. He was contemplating everything that had happened to him the past few days. He was feeling better - impossibly, the shrink had helped. But not just the shrink. It was that woman - Scully. _Who was she? _Why did she know so much about his condition? He wished he could talk to her again, see her. But she was gone, and he'd probably never see her again. Daniel flicked on his television. It was on a news program. He leaned in, shocked at what he was looking at.

On screen, there was the reporter, a small woman with a raincoat on, microphone seemingly permanently glued to her hand, standing right on Old Bay Beach next to that old lighthouse. She was talking about the lighthouse light, referring to it as a "ghost light,' a light that seemed to turn on by itself with a light bulb that never seemed to run out. Behind her, surrounded by medical and police personnel, half buried in the beach was a body. The camera did a zoom shot and revealed it to be Daniel, half decomposed in obvious hues of blue and gree, lying in the sand. The body was naked and covered up to the torso in sand - but it was him. Daniel turned up the volume.

The newswoman reported in her pretentiously official voice:

".. No one has been able to identify the victim who was found this evening by beach pedestrians. The only clue to who he is and who he might've been is a strange tattoo on his chest - ( _a close up of his chest_) - in a cuneiform like alphabet. The body will later be transferred to government officials and translators to further the investigation. There is no clue to where this man came from or how he got here."

The camera moved closer to the body, and as it did, Daniel felt that the body, no matter how much it looked like him - was nothing more than some empty husk. The reporter cornered a familiar woman who was talking with a somewhat tall, good-looking, lanky man in a black coat. It was Scully. The reporter pulled her aside.

"Can you give us any information on this body or the cause of death?"

Scully looked confidentially into the camera. She wasn't about to say much. She said in her usual blase tone:

"Uh, as far as we can tell, this man died from drowning. It's quite possible he's been here for about a day, half a day."

"What about the marks on his chest?"

"Possibly scarring from being scraped against the rocks in the tide, we really can't tell you much until an autopsy has been performed."

"I understand you're with the federal government, is there anything at all you can tell us about this man, is he American? Is this all some attempt at illegally traveling to the states from some foreign country?"

"I really couldn't say."

As Scully and the tall man she seemed very close with walked away, Daniel felt suddenly very scared ... very alone.

(**_To Be Continued _**...)


	2. All Is Silence Part 2

**All Is Silence (Part 2)**

**by**

**Osiris-Ra**

_Nothing fails the all knowing ... the All Knowing will never fail his creation..._

"A Horse! A Horse! My Kingdom for a horse!"

Jack moved the last of his four chess pieces on the board, a rook, two pawns and a knight. The opposing team, Daniel's side, had most of his original players, both rooks, both knights, the Queen and a few pawns. Daniel smiled.

"Don't do it Jack."

"Oh?" Jack shot him a sarcastic glance. "Why is that?"

"It's not wise, is all I'm saying."

"I think I'm wise enough, buddy." He moved his knight in the usual L pattern towards the Queen. After he had made his move, he noticed Daniel wasn't paying attention.

"Something on your mind?"

Daniel looked at him suddenly.

"Hmm? No, I was just thinking ... about something."

Daniel moved his queen piece.

"Oh?" Jack said."What? Or should I say ... who?"

"It's nothing, really. I was just remembering something someone once told me. They said that ... it was just something that I don't think ... she was entirely right about."

"Ah ha!" Jack said triumphantly. "I knew it! 'She'. Who's 'she'?"

Daniel smiled.

"Make your move already Jack."

_Later, in an office..._

Agent Fox Mulder was scratching his head. He was tired, tired of all these stupid papers in the stupid boxes in front of him. But he had to continue his search. He was in an old government building, rifling through documents that were not supposed to exist within a few minutes. Moments later he heard footsteps come down the hall and two airmen joking with one another. He grabbed a few files and slipped away into the nearby shadows ...

One of the airmen stood over the boxes. They were all in order and each box was stamped in big red letters:

**EYES ONLY, CONFIDENTIAL.**

"What do you say?" The airman said to his partner slyly,"Do a little reading?"

The other airman smiled. His buddy grinned.

"We're supposed to take 'em to the incinerator. Come on, help me, will ya?"

They began picking up boxes and taking them down the hall with them.

Mulder peeked his head out from the shadows and listened to the ominous sounds of the truth being dumped into the incinerator down the hall, the door being closed and the truth being burnt - never to be seen again ... except for the few documents he clutched in his hands.

_Later, in a hotel room..._

Agent Dana Scully was watching a video tape of last weeks channel 7 news program. There was the body of that Jackson character, being zipped into a body bag and hauled into the ambulance. She remembered him very well. His sweet intelligent looking face that was furrowed in worry. What was he so scared of, she wondered, what was it he knew?

The door opened.

"I've got a present for you, Scully."

Mulder said with dry enthusiasm. He put the documents on the night-stand and took off his coat.

"What are they?" Scully asked.

"Proof." Mulder began proudly as he retrieved a water bottle from the fridge. "Proof of what I've known all along. Where's the ice?"

"In the freezer. What proof, Mulder? For God's sake, I don't even know why I'm here. You drag me across the -"

"Cups?"

"Over by the bathroom door - you drag me halfway across the border talking some nonsense about a phone call you get from some mystery character who tells you about -"

"Water?"

"No thanks - about this place - Cheyenne Mountain? It's some kind of military base? What -"

"- Not just a military base - and these files prove it."

Mulder happily handed her the files and took a long drink of water. Scully went over them with a fast, observant eye.

"What am I looking at?"

"Copies of mission briefings from a project called StarGate."

Scully looked at him with her less than jovial, nonchalant expression. She repeated dryly:

"StarGate."

"I mean, talk about your characters. It's like real life Star Trek - except there's no Klingons, no Tribbles and they go through a big circular thing - kinda unimaginative but I guess that's real life aliens for you."

Scully gave him on of her looks. Mulder grinned.

"Mulder, where did you get these?"

"Trash room."

"The one in Cheyenne Mountain oris itderivedfrom the fluff fastly accumulating in your head?Are you just more bored than I ever possibly thought you could be? What are you rooting around in the trash for? Have I not been paying enough attention to you or something?"

"Scully, did you even read them? How could I come up with something like that, how could even the best writer come up with something like that? It's cheesy, that's a given, but so what? Life can be cheesy!"

"Mulder, you're not going to define your argument on the basis that it's cheesy but not cheesy, are you?"

Mulder sat on the bed.

"This is a government funded program, the president knows about this. Hell, he allowed it! He's the superior of whoever runs this group. This StarGate was discovered in Giza, Egypt in the late 1920's. This archeologist - Dr. Daniel Jackson - discovered how to use the StarGate - well actually it wasopened a long time ago hewas just the one who figured the rest ofit how, how to dial it, so to speak,how to get back home, etc. So at first they went, right? As explorers, but then they encounterd some alien beings who proved hostile and so _that_ has led to a use of it by the United States government to collect new technologies to use in defense of this earth by that race of hostile extraterrestrials known as the Goa'uld."

Scully stared blankly at him for awhile.

"Who called you, Mulder?"

"He calls himself Agent X,"

Mulder and Scully shared a look of amused blankness.

"I think he works within the project itself - and he most likely sent me these."

Mulder went to his coat and pulled out a thickly packed airmail folder. He opened it and took out a small plastic bag witha tiny objectinside. It was a small grey square with chiseled edges, as if to fit in something. Scully examined it.

"What is it?"

"I don't know."

Scully turned it over.

"It looks like a puzzle piece or a ... lego block - I don't -"

Mulder handed her the rest of the mail folder. Scully sighed and dug inside. She took out a small round device with a medium sized orange stone in the center. She looked questioningly at Mulder.

"That didn't come from Agent X. Remember the space craft that had come on it's mission of colonization?"

Scully rolled her eyes. That was a bit of her life she didn't care to remember.

"I found that. I took it off that ship and I brought it here with me. This isn't in my mind, Scully, this is the truth. We're getting closer to it. They've kept this under wraps for too long, the truth will come out. I guarantee it. And this man will help us."

He pointed to a photo that had fallen out of the mail folder. It was a newspaper clipping of a senator, and standing next to him, Colonel Jack O'Neill in full military dress.

Scully stared at the picture with a slight frown.

"Who's he?"

"He's the key."

_Later, in Jack's house..._

Jack was feeling the pain of an earlier loss in chess to Daniel - but it wore off quickly. Now all he was thinking about was whether to wear his new shoes or the old ones which though worn, still looked new. Maybe he could trade them in for some cheaper spit-shine penny loafers. No .. too casual. Penny loafers were leather too ... well, not _leather_ leather, a different _kind_ of leather .. like different kinds of Pistachio ice cream. The green kind was horrible.

Jack slipped on his old shoes as he half munched a granola bar and let his random morning thoughts pour through his brain. He had to get to work early for the next debriefing. SG 1 was going on a mission to some place that supposedly was the home of some whiz kid who had built some high tech gizmo gadget Carter was hot to get her hands on - she had told in him quite lengthy detail about it, but after about the first 10 seconds it all became a blur. Jack rose and froze subsequently in his steps.

A tall lanky guy with a black coat and a gun pointed directly at him was staring him down. Jack shifted slightly and raised his hands.

"I paid my cable bill, I swear."

The man focused his firey eyes on the perplexed Colonel.

"Colonel O'Neill," The man began, "I've come into contact with some information that has subsequently led me to you."

"That's nice. Don't believe a word of it."

"I know everything. I know about the StarGate program, I know about the extraterrestrial life forms that have put this planet on the verge of destruction, I know that president knows this and has allowed it for the span of around 4 years, I know that -"

"Do you know a rather large African American man is about to clock you from behind?"

Mulder spun around but seconds too late - Teal'c had hammer fisted him on the back of the head and was now standing over him, crumpled in a pile on the floor. Teal'c looked at Jack.

Jack shrugged.

"Guess he didn't know."

_Much later, on Central Ave ..._

Scully was walking down the sidewalk, headed to the grocery store. She had to pick up a few things and make a little phone call to see where Mulder was and what her partner was up to.

She was entering the small Stop 'n Shop on the Ave when she thought she heard a familiar voice talking with someone at the check out counter.

It was Daniel and another woman with well coifed blonde streaked hair and low key clothing. Scully stopped dead in her tracks, shocked that the same man she had found dead on the beach was standing before her - quite alive. Daniel turned for a moment and saw Scully.

He too stopped in his tracks. The other woman peeked over and saw Scully. She smiled and mouthed 'hi' - though Scully could see she didn't know what was going on. Daniel said his byes to the woman and after saying something about meeting her later in the SGC went over to Scully.

"Hey."

"Hi." She smiled meekly.

"Um ... "

Daniel paused. Scully tossed some cans of soup in her hand basket.

"I take it you watch the news?" Daniel said with a half smile.

"I do." Scully said quickly. "It's very interesting to say the least."

"Yeah ... um ... I've kind of been wanting to talk to you about that. Could we ... ?"

"I don't know exactly what's happening here, but I think I know what it has to do with."

_Later in an SGC holding cell..._

Mulder was pacing a dull, depressing grey cell with a hard bunk bed and some awful musty smell, annoyed, pissed, and wanting to have all the questions torturing his brain answered. He finally charged over to the door and banged.

"I want to see the Colonel! Colonel O'Neill!"

The guard gave him a blase glance and went back to obdiantly gaurding the door. Mulder slammed on the door with his hands and went back to pacing the room.

Jack was walking down the halls with General Hammond.

"You say this fellow says he knew about the StarGate?"

Jack made one of his little faces.

"Far as I know, he might not. It might all be a ruse to try to get in here. Others have done it."

"But he said specifically the Stargate?"

"Yep."

General Hammond motioned for the airman to open the door to Mulder's cell. They entered.

Mulder immediately went on attack mode.

"I want to know what the hell is going on!"

"So do you and a million people." Jack said nonchalantly. "We may never know why A.J Quartermaine does the things he does."

General Hammond glanced at Jack and went back to Mulder.

"Sir, I want to know who you are and what you are doing in my base."

"The names Mulder. I have a little bone to pick with you - a giant bone in fact. This whole place seems to be the marrow of that particular bone."

"What's with all the bone analogy?" Jack muttered.

"Mr. Mulder, " General Hammond began, " I do not have the time, nor the patience to deal with a civilian intruding upon this base. I could have you transferred -"

"Don't give me your routine, "I don't what you're talking about" confidentiality bullshit! I know about the StarGate. I know a whole hell of a lot more, and you're not gonna get rid of me this time."

"Sir, "General Hammond continued calmly, "whatever it is you think you know is not as you think it is."

Mulder shifted his gaze to Jack. "Colonel Jack O'Neill, Isn't it true that you lead a team through an alien portal device known as the StarGate. Isn't true that you have encountered extraterrestrials known as the Goa'uld who have plotted numerous times to annihilate this planet and assimilate it's peoples into their kind, the ones they take as hosts? Isn't true that these creatures hold a symbiotic nature and form and are capable of hiding in humans while planning ways to take us down through government and soul?"

"Mulder," Jack began, "I don't know where you think you are or where you got those wild stories, to say the least, but nothin' goes on in here except Deep Space Radar Telemetry ."

Mulder scoffed.

"We track satellites and do other spacial surveillance scans and all that jazz here and needless to say, it is a very boring thing to be doing all day. I mean, ack, I pray you'll never know how boring. Now I dunno, maybe you should go back to watching one of those cheesy sci fi films people watch, but I can personally guarantee you, nothing that has to do with government conspiracies and UFO's takes place here. General, what do you say, why not give him the grand tour?"

General hammond was exploding inside. _What in hell is wrong with Jack?_

"I'd rather have him escorted off my base. Airman!"

The guard opened the door.

Jack waved a halting arm to the gaurd.

"No. No, no, no, hold the phone, let him see. Ease his troubled mind."

Mulder looked on as the two military men shot looks at one another. General Hammond finally sighed and said defeatedly:

"Fine."

He stepped aside.

"You first, Mr. Mulder."

Mulder replied, "No, no, I insist, ladies first." .

_Later in the park ..._

Daniel and Scully were walking along the park sidewalk. The current conversation had left eachwith abitter taste in their mouths- it was like invisible walls were slowly caving in around each of them, borders never meant to be crossed were now open, and most dangerously so.

"I work with a - a branch of the government if you will, that specializes in, um, projects of - of global connotations, really. It's a kind of an experiment."

"Uh huh."

Daniel could see Scully wasn't buying it. Another skeptic! How annoying!

"It's - what you saw was a test gone bad, really. It - it was never meant to be exposed."

"Mm hmm, like the StarGate was never meant to be exposed, right?"

Daniel looked at her.

"I'm sorry?"

"The StarGate. Some sort of interdimensional portal that sends people places?"

Daniel was looking at her with his alert, questioning expression.

"Portal? Oh - is - is that some kind of story, or ...?"

"It sounds like it, I'll admit, but scientists have been talking about it for years."

"Really? That sounds interesting."

"It would, theoretically take an enormous amount of energy to do, but a distortion in space/time could be created and with some poking and prodding, theoretically create a - a wormhole."

"Uh huh." Now Daniel was the skeptic.

"Well, " he went on," it all sounds very interesting, the primordial stuff of science fiction, but, I wouldn't know anything about it - "

"Not even about the device that was found in Giza, Egypt in around the late 1920's?"

"Nope."

"So, no space travel experiments are being held in a place called Cheyenne mountain? It really is just another military base."

"I suppose. I'm not familiar with Cheyenne mountain but... as far as I know."

"As far as you know. Dr. Jackson, I get the distinct impression that you are lying to me."

"I don't know why I would."

"I think I do." Scully said with a slight glare, "You know, maybe Mulder wasn't so off after all."

Scully walked off. Daniel looked after her. After all his worrying about himself, after all his wanting to see her again, this government employee was turning out to be a problem.

_Later in the SGC..._

Jack was walking casually down the halls with his hands behind his back - occasionally waving them about as he narrated the tour.

"And these are the personnel quarters, pretty much everyone who's anyone on this base can use these - kind of like a camp tent - you know, those wood ones with the plastic bug shield windows and creaky floorboard - yeah, anyway, there's the quarters. Moving on, the cafeteria, Tuesday's fried tuna patty day. Skip it, trust me."

"Satisfied so far, Mr. Mulder?" General Hammond asked.

Mulder grinned knowingly. "I know what you're doing. You think you can hide the truth forever?"

Mulder scoffed and turned to leave. The accompanying airman followed him.

"I hope you enjoyed your tour!" Jack shouted, "Brochures on the way out!"

General Hammond took Jack by the arm.

"Jack, what did you think you were doing? Something could've happened! The gate could've opened with hundreds of alien refugees, wounded SG team personnel!"

"What?" Jack whined innocently,"I was just showing him we have nothing to hide. And we don't."

Jack grinned and walked off humming "We're off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz."

_Later, in the forest on offbase Cheyenne mountain..._

An airman lay unconscious hidden under a piles of leaves and soft moss. Mulder who had been satding in a clearing listening to the humming of traffic coming from outside the forest turned, made his way out of the clearing and into a crop of small trees. He halted again. There was nothing but green stuff for as far as he could see. As he scanned, he duduceda high security base like this wouldn't just have one way in and out - there had to be some hidden alternate exit. He noticed a large tube like structure cleverly concealed under some bushes. He approached it, feeling sure he had found his entrance. There was a large wheel on the top, which he turned. The shaft opened and Mulder climbed down the stairs.

He hopped to the bottom and looked around. There was a door. He was about to open it when he heard voices outside it speaking. He waited until the voices had passed, then he slowly turned open the door.

He was staring down a long vacant hall. He could almost hear the cries of wounded men, writhing from battle wounds, wishing and hoping only to fulfill their promises to their government in the hopes of once again seeing family and feeling safe. That's all anybody ever wants really, he thought to himself, to feel safe.Mulder walked down the hallway, carefully looking around the corners as he went. He scanned the halls hoping he would spy something that would tell him where he was going. There were more voices down the hall. He pressed himself into a small cubby and waited ... the men soon passed. There was a tall man in strange arabesque clothing with some sort of Z-shaped weapon in a holster. He spoke in a blunt, quick tone about some sort of - _'off world situation'_. Mulder tried to listen, but the voices soon faded as they turned a corner. Mulder peeked out and went on.

Mulder found his heart beating louder and louder as he ventured more and more through the base. He'd been in this very same situation before, and he was never afraid. Afraid of nothing more than getting cuaght and punished for the crime of curiosity. But now he had proof. Proof of what he'd been trying to discover all along. Voices were now coming from everywhere. Within hallways, down corridors, through the walls he pressed himself against. He knew it. He was getting closer, so close, so, so near. There was suddenly an awful blaring sound - a klaxon.

"Shit - "

Mulder's eyes darted around, looking for shelter. Footsteps were running now, running towards him! From left to right - left - right - Mulder saw a door - it read: **armory** - he ran towards it, pushed it open and entered, softly closing the door behind him.

The running sounds of boots clomped past the door. It was dark in here, Mulder could smell the gun oil and metal. He knew he was surrounded by weaponry - oh shit, what if someone needed something? Had to come in? He unholstered his gun - in case he might have to do the unthinkable - and cringed into the corner. Much as expected footsteps approached the door.

A female voice shouted:

"Colonel, what's happening?"

"Not now Sam, we've got our stuff, come on!"

The door opened anyway. A woman with short honey blonde hair entered. Mulder watched her hand go for the light switch ...

Behind her armed men were running, armed to the tooth with high tech assault weapons and heavy duty skirmish uniforms. One man ran past, dark skinned, bald, a strange medallion on his forehead and a long chrome staff. Colonel O'Neill ran in and caught the woman's arm before she turned on the light.

"Carter, we gotta go, I've got your weapon."

The woman backed out of the room and headed down the hall. Colonel O'Neill's eyes caught Mulder's, exactly where he was crouching. He could have sworn the colonel winked at him as he closed the door and ran off.

_Later in Scully's car ..._

Scully was sitting in her car staring distantly out of the window. She almost didn't want to believe it herself ... that ... no, it was just so -

Her phone rang, shattering her train of thought. She picked it up.

"Hello?"

There was silence ... then after awhile, a sly voice spoke on the other end.

"Scully, Scully, Scully ... ignorance is bliss isn't it?"

Scully frowned. "Who is this?"

"That's a very good question. You know what? I'll even answer it, but right now, I think you have to go and help someone."

"Who are you, how did you get this number?"

"That's not important. What is important is who's number _will_ be called if he doesn't get out of a certain high level security mountain within ... oh ... 30 minutes."

"Are you talking about Agent Mulder?"

"No, the tooth fairy - _yes_! Now, look, you can't go about this any old way. You gotta be sly about it. 'Cause see, agent, they're watching you. And not just them. The _others_."

"What others?"

"That's not important. What is important is you help your friend. I'll be in touch."

"Wait -"

The caller had hung up. Scully closed her cell phone and exhaled heavily.

_Later in Daniel's house..._

Daniel was sitting in his darkened bedroom, staring into the blackness until his eyes clouded over with the darknessand had to blink. He snapped himself out of his trance several times before he finally turned a light on.

He looked at his bookcase. It was sparsely lined with different relics he had collected over the past years. Some were fromEarth - others were from his travels through the StarGate - the ones he was allowed to keep. He found himself wondering ... what was it all for? All this time he had led himself to believe that what he was searching for was through the stargate. He hadn't gone to be an explorer or an adventurer. He had gone because he loved his wife. Dear, dear Sha're, his love, gone forever. He raised his head. There it was. That was it. The end of his normal life. That was when the hurt and confusion had begun to torment him. When she whispered those last faint words to him _"I love you Daniel."_ And then he was gone.

(_**Flash**_ - _a darkened space. Flat, no sense of time or being. Daniel slowly moves through the black, fearless of what might be within - "Daniel ... Daniel ... come with me..." he looks right ... Sha're is standing there, looking exactly as she did the day they first met. She raises her hand out to him. "Daniel ... Daniel ... come with me ... please...")_

Daniel's eyes closed hypnotically. He felt himself slowly going ... slowly ... heart slowing ... heart beat ..._ fainter ... fainter ... fainter ..._

Tapping noises woke him back up - alert. _Tap tap tap_. Knocking? The door.

Daniel opened the front door. Scully was standing there, a serious look clouding hereyes.

"Can I come in?"

_Meanwhile, in the Gate room ..._

_"All non essential personnel, please evacuate the base immediately! This is not a drill! All non essential personnel ..."_

Hammonds voice boomed over the base loud speakers. Jack and Sam were standing in front of the gate ramp as hundreds of people, Tok'ra and others in civilian Romanesque attire came running through the gate. Colonel Makepeace came flying through the gate in a spray of dirt and explosion of staff weapon fire. The last of the people hurried down the ramp.

"Close the freakin' iris!" Makepeace shouted.

The iris slid shut and moments later there were two loud thumps then the gate wormhole disengaged. Makepeace rose dizzily and staggered down the gate ramp. He faced Jack. His eyes were clouded over in shock.

Jack came up to Makepeace.

"What the hell was that?"

"I don't know.. I don't know ... But it was big Jack - "

"Hey, hey!" Jack shook his flustered friend out of it. "What's up?"

"They were huge. Me and the team were just scoutin', next thing we know, this huge ship comes and - and - Jack - it nearly blew me away."

Sam chimed in. "What did it look like, was it Goa'uld?"

Makepeace only shook his head.

"Asgard?"

Again he shook - no.

"Could you tell at all?"

"Major .. I've never seen anything like it before."

Carter frowned. What could make thisusually composedcolonel so disturbed?

Suddenly a long beam of light materialized on the gate ramp. Makepeace's eyes bulged and he staggered back, tripping into a run as he ran out of the gate room screaming:

"No! You'll never take me! Never!"

Thor soon appeared, and his big black eyes showed he wasn't too happy about something.

"Thor." Carter said, surprised. "What - what are you doing here?"

"There is a slight situation on Orilla."

"Oh god," Jack started, "not those damn bugs again?"

"No." Thor said, glancing at Jack," It is something far different. I believe the Major may be able to help me deduce what it is."

Thor looked at Major Carter who glanced around nervously and with a slight smile joined Thor on the ramp.

"We will return as soon as possible."

Thor said amidst the departing beam of light. Jack watched as they left, a grim certainty in his eyes...

_Meanwhile, in Daniel's house ..._

Scully brushed past Daniel who proceeded to close the door. She turned and faced him.

"Why's it so dark in here?"

Daniel went by her to the kitchen.

"I can think in the dark. Water? Apple juice ...?"

"No thanks."

She approached him.

"I need your help, Dr. Jackson. It's to do with a friend, a very good friend. He's in a dangerous place right now and I think you can help him."

Daniel cracked open a soda pop and stared at her as he drank it. He coughed a bit over the bubbles.

"Why would I do that?" He rubbed his neck.

"Because you work for the people who'll hurt him."

"I'm an archeologist, I study ancient artifacts - "

" I know your background. I also know that you deciphered the Stargate, and you're a very talented individual. Sir, if you can help me, I might be able to help you."

Daniel scoffed and rubbed his neck again.

"Me? How?"

"I received a call today. They warned me that my partner was in trouble. Think you know what it has to do with."

"How does that help me, though?"

She looked at him, studying his cold, red streakedeyes, his pale face. All at once, she felt emmensely sorry for him.

"You don't believe me ... but I've been in your situation before."

"What situation?" Daniel sipped his drink. Scully's eyes focused on his. Daniel blinked uncomfortably.

"You've been taken, haven't you?"

Daniel took another long drink of his soda and looked away.

Scully sighed and put a hand to her face in exasperation.

"If you help me, I'll help you figure out what's going with - with everything, I've been in this situation before! You - you think that some thing's wrong with you, that's you're somehow different - tainted by these - these creatures that have raped your mind! You can't keep it bottled in, it'll eat at you, it'll haunt your dreams! You want that for yourself?"

"You have no idea how I feel, Dana."

Daniel's tone was cold and deep. Scully looked almost desperate.

"Please ... my partner might be dead right now. If you don't help ... his blood will be on your hands."

She walked back to the door. Daniel defiantly took a long drink of his soda. Scully paused at the door.

"They'll come back. They'll ... remind you of what happened. They've taken a piece of your soul and ... somehow ... it's still with you. You see things in different ways, think different thoughts, feel different things. You'll begin to believe you are different and then ... that's when thedesperation sets in."

She opened the door.

"Wait."

She turned - she'd been waiting for those words.

Daniel was swirling his soda can. There was a long moment that seemed to last too long for Scully in that creepy dark house.

Daniel finally spoke.

"Okay."

_Meanwhile, somewhere in the SGC..._

Mulder sneaked along the walls of the base. His finger was wrapped tight near his gun.. The klaxon had stopped wailing but red alarm lights still flashed stomach churningly above him. There were the occasional voices, the soft tones and footsteps. Mulder found a door. Within it, two voices were talking. It was the Colonel and another man in Airman uniform.

"They believe it to be a foothold situation." The Colonel was saying.

"Good." The other man replied, "Then we will continue with our previous plans."

"What about the Mulder person?"

"He is a threat. He must be dealt with."

"The Asgard will know."

"Not if it is done the right way. I cannot trust you to do this, G'nesh. It must be one of the others."

"The human O'Neill had high security clearance! I must do it!

They'll never suspect him!"

"Ne, G'nesh! Ne! Ares lok tah anies. All will be silence from you!"

The man looked angry with O'Neill. He touched O'Neill's chest with his fist.

"Hail and farewell."

Mulder ducked as the other man left the room. He was crouching right besides the door. The man exited the room and left, never looking Mulder's way. Mulder crept backward and when he looked back and saw it to be clear, he ran down the hall back to the armoury.

Inside the armoury, he crouched in the dark. What the hell had he just seen? Why was Jack talking like that - well he definitely wasn't who he appeared to be. Mulder found himself shuddering a little. Suddenly, the door opened, the lights flicked on, and Jack stood looking down at him. His eyes glowed florescent for a long time. Mulder was exposed, nowhere to run, He looked on in terror, enclosed suddenly by Jack's hypnotic eyes ...


	3. Chapter 3

_Reality is Lie. Truth is Fiction. Transgression is Obediance. Hate is Love. _

* * *

Carter was pacing the halls of the Architeuthis, the newest in the assembly line of powerful Asgard ships. Supreme Commander Thor watched her as she paced, following her disturbed person with his big black eyes. 

"What is your currant thinking process?"

Carter stopped pacing and looked at him.

"Um ... confused."

"Shall I elucidate for you?"

"It's not that I don't get it - I do, I just ... well what you're saying doesn't make any sense."

"I thought I told you in quite the simple manner. Colonel O'Neill is no longer who he is."

"See, that's the confusing part."

Thor swiveled his seat around.

"As you know, the Asgard do continually watch all the protected planets as a safe guard against any breaks in the treaty by less than friendly forces."

"But - that doesn't actually mean you're watching it, per se, right?"

"We do send craft to physically watch the planets time and time again. Usually, an automatic database records the currant status of the selected planet, but these manual surveillance watches do prove useful in eradicating any threat that was not caught by our automated system."

"That doesn't happen a lot, I hope."

Thor glanced at Carter.

"Of course not, Major."

"Ah." Sam grinned.

Thor moved three stones on his ships command interface which brought up a screen. On the screen was Jack, walking down the hall of the SGC.

"This footage is from several months ago. As you can see, Colonel O'Neill appears to be performing his usual duties in the normal human capacity."

Sam shrugged.

"Two weeks after this, our patrol sent peculiar footage of him at his home. Sensors had lately been malfunctioning and kept showing that there was some craft in close earth orbit."

"Cloaked?"

"Those concerns were quickly thwarted by scanning of your earth. There was no ship. This footage is from three days after that initial scan."

On the screen, Jack was sleeping in his bed. He looked so calm and peaceful as he lay there, lost in a restful slumber dreaming whatever a Colonel dreamed about. The peace broke. Suddenly, his eyes popped open. He became visibly stiff and agitated as he lay there, no longer lost in that slumber, now wide awake in sucha way which showed his physical discomfort. His eyes slowly turned and stared frantically at something in the room - which neither Thor nor Carter could see on the screen There was only a light shining in his direction which they could see. Jack's body began to levitate and turned on a flat plane on his back. He seemed to be screaming, but his mouth was shut tight, his hands, firmly clamped at his sides were stiff as boards. His whole body was trapped in a silent shriek for help. When he did finally move it was several spasmodic jerks and he fell back on the bed, unconscious.

Sam looked on in utter bewilderment. She looked at Thor who was still looking at the screen.

Jack's eyes opened. He rose slowly from the bed. He looked at himself - all of himself. His arms, his legs, his body, he touched his face as if it was the first time he had ever felt it before. He rose from the bed and walked mechanically into the bathroom.

Inside the bathroom, he turned on the sink and spooned a few mouthfuls of water into his mouth with his hand. He dried his hands and looked for the longest at his reflection in the mirror. An eerie orange light began tofill the bathroom. Jack's body became iridescent, glowing from within, his eyes shone brightly and there were faint crackling sounds as if the wall paper was burning from the walls. The light began to flicker and slowly ceased. Jack turned and left the bath room.

Sam watched in shock as this person - if it _was_ that, in Jack's body climbed into the bed and closed his eyes.

Thor finally spoke. "I assume you now understand why I was reluctant to tell the true reason for asking you here, Major Carter. I have reason to believe that your foothold situation has become far more delicate at this point."

* * *

_Later, In Daniel's house..._

Scully was sitting on the couch sipping a cup of tea. Daniel was sitting on a recliner, eyes downcast in the glare Scully had now become accustomed to.

"Everything you've been told ... is true."

Scully gritted her teeth. She took a long sip of tea.

"I am the archeologist ... who deciphered the StarGate. I opened it."

"So it does exist?"

"That - that's what I'm saying. To get your friend probably won't be easy. But I have good, good friends among the SGC. Jack, Sam, the General."

"Will they hurt Mulder?"

Daniel looked at Scully for the longest. He finally shook his head.

Scully put her tea cup down and rose with a sigh.

"Well, then I guess we should get going."

Daniel was looking at her very oddly, she thought. So hard, like he was looking into her ... searching inside her soul, she'd seen those kind of eyes before ... she didn't like them. She turned away.

(**Flash** - _Daniel is strapped to this cot, scared, where is he? Who are these creatures? Slowly, one by one, the creatures illuminate. They are people - humans, Jaffa, Nox even. There's a man in Tok'ra garb, A woman - Jolinar? A few Jaffa in robes, there are empty faces among the people. Faceless, gender less figures standing, waiting with the others ..._)

Daniel blinked. He turned.

"I'll - I'll get ready."

"Daniel ..."

He hesitated.

Scully was looking at him again.

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me."

Daniel spoke curtly. He went upstairs.

* * *

_Later, in the armory ..._

Mulder cringed against the wall. Jack slowly approached him with a half smile on his face.

"Mulder, Mulder, Mulder ... what are you doing here, huh? It's not your time yet."

Mulder aimed his gun. Jack looked almost amused.

"You don't think you're going to kill me, do you? No, see, I can't be killed. Oh - this body can, but when this body dies, I will simply return to the others and another will be picked from the Guf."

"The Guf?"

"Where all our souls reside. This soul will pass on ... but I will live again..."

Jack leaned in close and looked in Mulder's eyes.

"And I will know you."

Jack straightened. He walked out.

Mulder 's hands were shaking. He was stunned, confused, more than he thought he could ever be. Was it because it was real? He had seen worse. Stranger in fact. Things beyond compare. Then why was he so ... afraid?

* * *

_Meanwhile, in the briefing room..._

General Hammond was sitting at the head of the table. Along the sides were three men and two women. The men were clad in roman-esque garments with chiseled chest plates. The two women had loose white robes on and long golden medallions with lions heads carved in them. On the other side of the table were two Tok'ra, Nebeth and Harif, twins.

General Hammond was scanning each of them with a worried expression.

"This is ... uh ... most ..."

Nebeth spoke.

"I know everything must be confusing right now, General. But I assure you, to allow anyone to go forth from this base will entail destruction upon your people. These creatures have no sense of right nor wrong. They come and they go as fast as they came. They take many different shapes, many different forms, they have the ability to be invisible - "

"We have counter measures against that. The TER's you gave us."

"The TER's are useless. We have tried them."

"If these creatures are so ... flexible with their appearances, how can I be sure you're not one of them?"

Nebeth smirked and sighed. "To that, general, you have, sadly, only my word."

"I see."

Hammond rose.

"Well, thank you for the warning. If you have any more suggestions as to precautions we should take - "

"We do. " Harif interrupted. "If and when you do find one, do not let it know you."

"Know me?"

"Don't let it look in your eyes. To let that happen will be in effect, a death sentence."

* * *

_Later, on the Architeuthis ..._

The deck was filled with the sound of romantic classical music. It slowly bled from a instrumental to an opera. The deep, fluid tones of the singers voice echoed along every deck of the ship.

Thor moved a stone which confined the sounds to the deck he and Major Carter were on. They were listening to some sort of telecommunications broadcast that the ships sensors had picked up within the last few minutes. So far, it had all been music, Classic rock, heavy metal, oldies but goodies, and a few of Carter's favorite Bluegrass tunes.

"Major Carter, I believe these creatures have been watching you for a long time. It seems that your planets's previous attempts to contact extraterrestrial life forms, as you call it, has succeeded."

"What do you mean - these are - "

"Your planet's organizations have repeatedly sent up probes which contained parcels such as these that held basic information about your home world, if the aliens as you call them, possessed the knowledge to understand it."

"Looks like they do."

The observation screen changed and another Asgard appeared on it. Thor turned to the screen and turned off the music. The Asgard was speaking in the Asgard tongue.

"What's he saying?" Sam inquired.

Thor was silent until the Asgard finished. The screen cut to black. Thor turned to Carter.

"I am sorry, Major Carter, I must send you back to your home world."

Thor set his hand upon one of the stones on the motherboard. Sam started forward.

"Wait - why? What's going on?"

"I have been summoned back to Orilla. As soon as I have more information, I will contact you."

"But - "

Thor moved the stone. Carter materialized in a beam of light.

* * *

_Later, at the SGC..._

Daniel was walking down the halls of the SGC with Scully. To Scully, it looked like any old military base. There were the airmen going about their daily duties, other military personnel, no, there wasn't anything out of the ordinary about this place, dull and dank as it was.

Daniel slid a key card through a check point. They continued down the hall until Daniel led her to a door marked General George Hammond. He knocked crisply on the door.

"Enter."

Daniel let Scully in first and went in behind her, closing the door. Scully clasped her hands and waited.

Hammond looked expectantly at Daniel.

"What is it, Dr. Jackson?"

"General Hammond, This is Dana Scully - "

Scully showed General Hammond her badge. Daniel stared at it for a moment, recalling seeing her gun but never figuring the FBI part - he continued.

"Requesting permission to search your base for a possible stowaway, so to speak."

Daniel cleared his throat nervously.

Hammond cocked his head. "I'm sorry?"

Scully spoke.

"General, I believe that an FBI agent has mistakenly found his way into this compoud and is now hiding somewhere in your base."

Hammond lips were tightly pursed. He glanced at Daniel and few times - this Scully person. He finally rose.

"Can I talk to you in private, Dr Jackson?"

Daniel nodded. He opened the door for Scully.

"The airmen will show you to the briefing room."

Scully left. Daniel turned and faced General Hammond. He could feel the General's southern anger exploding through the seams.

"You brought an FBI agent into my base? What in hell are you -"

"She knows about the StarGate."

The General's eyebrow arched.

"How?"

"She already knew about it."

"What? How is that - "

" I don't know. She has a friend - he's with the FBI as well, he's some kind of, ghost searcher, he's into UFO's and extraterrestrials..."

Hammond crossed his arms. Daniel made a face.

"ET? Invasion of the Body Snatchers? Area 51?"

Hammond wasn't amused.

"The point is he knows!"

"The question is how."

"I don't know. I brought her here because I knew sooner or later they'd probably be getting into trouble any way and be brought here. But ..."

Daniel was hesitant.

" Is there a chance you might be able to let them leave the base?"

"I'm afraid I can't do that Dr. Jackson. I _can't_ - even if I could, I don't know - not with what they know about this base. I - I don't -"

"Sir, they work for the FBI, surely the FBI has some idea of what the word confidentiality means."

"There are certain member's the FBI who are privy to this operation, Dr Jackson. These two are not amoung them, therefore the fact is, if needed, these two could disappear off the face of the earth."

"That seems a bit harsh General. They weren't looking for trouble -"

"But they found it anyway. How did she find you?"

Daniel sighed heavily. " I - I met her - I swear, I told her nothing about the StarGate, the only thing I can think of is... there must be a some kind of mole."

"Then we're gonna find this mole, Dr Jackson, and we're gonna take care of it."

" Sir, " Daniel replied, "What about the agents?"

General Hammond sat at his desk and exhaled thoughtfully.

"Well, I'm a kind and merciful General. I would turn them over to their superiors, let them deal with them, but I have a possible foothold situation on my hands."

"Foothold?"

"Early this morning, the gate activated. It was the Tok'ra. With them came several hundred refugees of a planet that the Tok'ra had been scouting. These were apparantly the survivors of some kind of plauge. They claimed they had been suffering from some incurable disease, so it was pretty lucky the Tokra happened by, right? Well according to the Tokra,the people were not what they seemed to be. Whatever they had infected the Tokra."

"They couldn't cure it?"

"Apparantly not. The thing about it is, it's not a physical disease, what the Tokra described seems to me to be some kind hostile body takeover. For lack of a better word,body snatching. The remaining uncontaminated they brought here but I fear that they didn't do such a thourough search after all."

"Why is that?"

"I found Maybourne, Dr. Jackson. In my office."

"Maybourne? What was he -"

"He couldn't remember how he had gotten there. Last he remembered he was on his phone in his car then he apparantly blacked out. He later awoke and found himself here."

"And you suspect foul play?"

Hammond inhaled with certainty.

"Anyone who comes in, is going to stay in."

* * *

_Meanwhile, in the briefing room..._

Scully paced. She impatiently checked her watch. How long had she been in here? She went up to the door and opened it. An airmen turned and slowly stepped in front of her. Scully went back inside. This was taking forever. Mulder, why, Mulder, of all the times, why now did you have to get adventurous? One of these days, I just might not be there to rescue you, what then? Her cell phone rang. When she checked the LCD screen the number was unlisted. She answered it anyway.

"Scully."

"Is he out yet?"

"I want you to tell me what the hell is going on, starting_ now_."

"Relax, patience, just make sure nothing happens to Mr Hanes underwear, okay?"

"Look - whoever you are, I'm flying blind here! I don't know where I am or when they're going to let me go - at least give me some information."

"Info? Oh, oh sure, I can do that. I said I'd do that, right? Well, um, so far, everything looks okay. Um - how can I say this without sounding melodramatic or worse, cheesy. It's like that movie they showed on the Sci Fi channel, what was it - something about a bug - one of the hundreds of bug movies, always something with a creepy crawling whatchamasquashit- Bugzilla on a boat, on a plane, in a taxi in Lorraine - you'd think no one else had a phobia - "

"Could you spit it out?"

"Look lady, don't rush me ok, my therapist says I have problems over describing things, it's not my fault, it's the amount of neutrinos in my brain or something, okay then, anyway, as I was saying, I don't wanna scare you so I'll give it to you slowly, 'kay? ok, here is it, get ready."

There was a pause. Scully checked her watch again.

"... The _Furlings_ are coming."

Scully stared blankly at the wall. It was awhile before she opened her mouth to talk again.

"Don't call this number again."

"Wait! Don't you want to hear the rest?"

"Mmmm, nope."

"It's a life and death situation. It concerns you and SG1."

"SG what?" Scully said with a sigh.

"What time is it?"

Scully checked her watch.

"6:15."

"At 7 o clock, you will be reunited with Mulder and you will meet the rest of SG 1. I will then meet you all at approximately 30 minutes after that. Then I'll explain everything."

The caller hung up. Scully hung up her phone and tucked it back in her belt clip. Could this day get any weirder?

* * *

_Later, in Sam's quarters ..._

Sam had found herself beamed back in her quarters a few minutes later. She was now recovering from that slight shock of having been transported several million miles away from your home and back again on terra firma in a split second with out a trace of vertigo. Sam was about to head out when there were two knocks at the door.

She opened it. Jack was standing there, time suddenly came to a standstill, everything moved faster than she could process, because as Jack stepped forward, all she could realize was what her eyes had taken in at the moment she had opened the door ... then everything had gone completely black.

* * *

_Later, in the SGC ..._

Mulder wandered down the hallway. He felt unfocused, foggy. Those eyes kept staring at him, every time he closed his eyes, those piercing, knowing eyes of the colonels. He felt cloudy, as if he was in his present state, only much less so. He turned a corner, suddenly off his stealth mode. There were a few dozen airmen standing in the hall, conversing. Each turned and saw him. One un-holstered his gun and shouted in acknowledgement of his unauthorized, unfamilar presence.The rest, like dominos, reached for their guns and rifles and started moving towards Mulder. Mulder shifted back into alertness, he turned and ran the opposite direction. Coming down the other hall was Teal'c. He immediately broke into a run, charging towards Mulder. Mulder braced himself for the coming impact as best he could. Teal'c hurled into him andgrabbed him by the cuff of his shirt and whipped his hands behind him. Mulder struggled, trying to peel the man's powerful arms from his hands and neck, but Teal'c was stronger. Teal'c wrestled him to the ground, entangling his legs around Mulder's which were writhing in an attempt to escape.

Footsteps came running down the hall from every direction. Mulder looked up in grim anticipation.

A gunshot rang out in the din. Teal'c shouted for everyone to be quiet. He rose suddenly. The body under him was deathly still. Teal'c knelt down and felt for a pulse. His hand touched something wet and slippery. He looked at his hand which was covered in red. Teal'c rose.

"Which one of you shot him?"

There was no answer. The stunned airmen simply stared at the dead body on the ground.

"Which one?"

Teal'c insisted with growing anger. General Hammond came running down the hall.

"Teal'c! What's going on?"

Hammond stopped in his tracks when he saw the dead federal agent.

"What the - ?"

The airmen slowly began to disperse. Hammond grabbed one of them by the arm.

"Get a medical team down here."

The airmen complied and ran down the hall. The general approached Teal'c.

"Teal'c, what happened?"

Teal'c spoke grimly.

"I was attempting to detain him when there was a shot fired. I did not see who fired it."

Hammond sighed.

"Was it one of the airmen?"

"Things happened quickly. I did not see who fired."

Hammond sighed heavily. With a startled jolt, he realized he had one dead federal agent and one live agent, both detained in a mountain that neither should have ever seen. Hammond put a hand on Teal'c's shoulder and headed briskly back down the hallway.

Mulder was teetering on the edge of life as the crowdslowly dispersed around him. Footsteps became hollw echoing sounds, hollw and reverberating through his skull. Suddenly all his sense were dizzied and warped like a drippy painting. As his already slitted eyes closed , he saw feet moving away from him, down the hall - _what was it? Who?_That confident walk ... familiar ... he weakly raised his head to see but his head suddenly was like a rock on his neck. His head dropped. He tried to keep his eyes open but they only became heavier. They closed. The last thing he saw was the remenant of Jack's eyes, still peircing into his mind...

* * *

_Later ..._

Several dark faces peered into a glass mirror. However, it was no ordinary mirror. The faces watched as within the mirror, a scene in one of the officers quarters in the SGC took place. Jack placed his hand on Sam's forehead, staying very still, and slowly being encompassed by an orange light. Sam was visibly horrified, but unable to make a sound or move. Jack kept his hand on her forehead for the longest. Sam finally began to whimper with pain. The door opened and an airman peeked in. Jack turned and quickly removed his hand from Sam's head. He approached the airman and pulled him into the room, locking the door. The airman inquired forcibly as to what was going on. He was about to attend to Sam when Jack clocked him over the back of his head. The airmen recovered quickly and reached for his gun. Jack clamped a hand around his throat and tightened. He spun the airman into a hammer lock and slowly twisted the airman's neck, placing his hand in the airman's mouth to muffle the scream. There were several dense cracking sounds. Meanwhile, Sam was recovering on the floor. She shook her head briskly and rose, staggering with dizziness. She turned in time to watch the airman crumple to the floor, dead, blood dripping from the side of his mouth. She backed up to the wall fearfully. Jack came in close, his eyes locked with hers. Sam's eyes glazed over and she crumpled to the floor.

The dark faces peered at one another, featureless, gender-less, but somehow, pleased.

Jack knelt near Sam and moved back her hair, gently stroking her face. After awhile, Sam stirred on the floor. Jack helped her up. She looked at him with vague familiarity then taking his hand, followed him out of the room.

(**_To Be Continued..._**)


End file.
